Last weekend I changed the air filter. Put in the same as what was there. While riding I notice an small increase in acceleration.
But more noticeable is the fact that now it's taking 3 to 4 long stabs at the starter button to get the motor running.
Prior to the filter change the average was like one stab for half a second and good to go.

So what? Bad filter? Need carb adjustment?

I chucked the old one. Looked like it had lost the war.
Only other changes were a new turn signal stem and mirrors.

First, make sure the new philter is properly seated.

If your old philter was philthy, then it would reduce airflow and make your bike run slightly rich compared to a non-philthy philter.

Use the choke to start in cool weather, run a mile or so on half choke to warm up.  If the bike is warm or it's hot out, use half-choke or no choke as needed.  

If none of this works, look into a carb adjustment.

Filter is seated. Vac line is good. Even with the choke it's hard starting. If I give it gas while starting it helps. Never used to need that before. Looks like it is running leaner now.

If you can feel a performance gain from cleaning your air filter, it’s time to up your maintenance game. Letting something like that get to the point of where it effects performance is waiting way too long.

Hilarious JOG2!  

I went and compared my new filter with my neighbors original filter. There's a difference in the filter element materials. Turns out mine isn't actually a Suzuki part but a knockoff sold on Amazon as OEM.
This filter is a fraud.